With Rocky sporting a new rear window, a dashing silver duco (amazing what a wash will do) and four refreshed passengers, we embarked for a few days in the Bunya Mountains, a couple of hours east of the Sunshine Coast. It was great to be back on the road again, and we wound our way past the Glasshouse Mountains on our way to the Bunyas. The road became steeper and signs started warning that the road ahead was unsuitable for buses, trucks and caravans - just our kind of adventure.
The hills became steeper and steeper - but thankfully we had plenty in reserve as Rocky sailed up them in second gear. We soon had risen over 1000 metres above sea level, and paused to take in the view at Fisher's Lookout.
Bunya Mountains - even Rocky made it!
We set up camp in the delightful Dandabah camp-ground, and soon were making ourselves acquainted with the local residents. After we set up camp, we sat down and felt like we had come back home. It was a wonderful relaxing feeling.
There is no place like home
The Bunya Mountains take their name from the magnificent Bunya Trees (an ancient conifer related to the Hoop Pine - although both of them are technically not pines). Their large cone, weighing up to 8kg provided an important carbohydrate for the Aboriginal people. The giant trees and their seed cones, (the seeds are called nuts) are a significant part of the Aboriginal culture in this area, with large gatherings taking place as the seed cones started falling in January. Sadly the last great gathering of the Aboriginal people in this area was in the late 1890s.
We found the Bunya Mountains incredibly beautiful and peaceful. Queensland second oldest National Park, declared in 1908, logging took another 10 years to stop, however thankfully it did. Walking around the Bunya forest reveals magnificent Bunyas well over 300 years old, Hoop Pine and the occasional Red Cedar tree are also found. Walking around in the forest in the fresh air was rejuvenating.
We know the fittest Aboriginal men used to climb the giant trees and use stone tools to dislodge the Bunya cones. At the base of one giant tree, I spied an unusual shaped rock - could it be an ancient hand tool?
The rock was shaped similar to an axe head, but didn't appear to have and edge ground onto it. It did fit neatly - almost too naturally into the hand. I must admit to getting shivers up my spine at the thought that this rock could have a far greater story than first glance would reveal.
Of course we never shall know if the rock was indeed used as a tool or not. But in a way it doesn't matter - it was just enough to take a moment to think of the countless generations of people who had come to these mountains to celebrate these trees - and how close we had come to destroying them all in the hunt for timber. I put the rock back in the leaf litter, where it belonged, and we continued our walk.
The following day it rained - and there of course is nothing better than a game of Monopoly on a rainy day. The Little Fisherman had soon fleeced all of us - emerging triumphant despite my best efforts to wheel and deal another outcome.
Thankfully the weather eased the next day, and we set off for a longer circuit walk through the Bunya Mountains. The walk was peaceful in the cool of the forest floor. One particular Bunya had regular scars on its trunk - suggesting toe holds carved to assist a climber in their quest to reach the Bunya nuts.
We continued our walk through the forest, and soon came to the edge of an ancient lava flow. The small creeks running on top of the range often end in small picturesque water falls. As we were sitting here, cheeky King Parrots appeared and started chattering and demanding a feed. They followed us for a while after we resumed our walk, but soon gave us up as a lost cause.
We soon came to a 'Blad' - a natural grassland pocket of ancient Gondwana era grasses such as the Bunya Bluegrass - and paused at admire the view over Hoop Pine. From here, you could clearly see how the vegetation changes with contrasts between pine an eucalypt clearly defined. Whether the result of ancient fires, micro-climates, soil types, aspect or a combination of factors, what it highlighted was how small changes can make drastic changes to a species ability to survive in a landscape.
We continued our walk with the giant trees towering over us. Most of the paths in the park were made following the second world war, and were mostly flat and easy to follow. We were carrying plenty of water as usual, but I also had the rain coats in my bag just in case the rain caught us out. As it turned out, we made it back home before the rain came.
The Bunya Mountains were simply amazing. We found the mountains rejuvenating, their timeless trees graceful and peaceful. Some people find the sun and the surf heals their soul. I think we found here a place that reconnected us with this beautiful land.
Our plan was to hang about for another day, before heading to Main Range National Park near Warwick. The Weather Witch was studying the forecast and weather radar with increasing concern. Our planned camp at Main Range was at the end of an unsealed road, with several river crossings, and access might be a 'little challenging in the wet'. With a rain band on its way promising an 80% chance of 40-80mm, it sounded like we could find ourselves stuck for an indeterminate period of time.
It was decision time.
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